whether you love 'em or hate 'em... whether you claim to be one, or couldn't even imagine the thought... most of us would agree that there is a directly-proportional pairing of productivity with early rising. the early bird catches the worm, doesn't it?
as a business owner, as a husband, as a soon-to-be father, and as a spiritual being longing for deeper relationship with my God & my community, over the past few months i kept feeling drawn to create a sense of order about my life. enough order, ironically, to allow room for the spontaneous. i once heard david allen, the master behind GTD, make a comment related to cooking, that struck deeply with my common sense. he rhetorically asked, how much more free are you to be spontaneous in the kitchen, if everything is in its right place, instead of feeling overwhelmed by pots & pans strewn across the counter tops? so, why would our daily routine be any different; keep the frame work in place, allowing one's creativity to flow un-hindered.
then, about a month ago, jasmine shared her daily routine with her inquiring fans [you can check out the post here]. and i felt that was the final push.
i wanted to have a daily routine; a schedule for myself to serve as the framework for my creativity & my sanity. my first inclination was to copy jasmine's schedule, and plan out the very next day with my calendar:
6:30am - wake up & pray
7:00am - answer email
8:15am - get my butt outside & enjoy the fresh air
...and on and on...
only, two things struck me [and thankfully, they did so immediately, before i started re-arranging my iCal for imminent failure]:
[1] i am not jasmine.
[2] i have a difficult time changing multiple variables at the same time.
and the second, led me to my plan of action. i knew that if i tried to map out a daily routine from the moment i rose until dinner was in the skillet, i would most certainly end up frustrated before i even finished my second cup of coffee. so, i thought a moment, about how i like to make changes...
one at a time.
once i acknowledged this bit of self-knowledge, i took the only possible next step. i focused on the first action i have taken, of every single day over the past 27 years: waking up.
my first goal: to wake at the same time every day [and preferably earlier than i typically was waking].
so, as i will typically do, i began to research, scouring some of my favorite blogs & books, until i had a plan of action to make the single & simple change, before moving on to my next goal. and i have to say, i am rather excited about the results.
over the past week and a half, i first started waking daily at 8:00am, and have sinced [successfully] moved my alarm to 7:45am. i simply go to bed when i am tired [no set time] and i plan on waking at the same time every day, letting my body do the work of telling me whether i need more sleep or less. if i need more sleep, my body tells me to go to bed earlier. and if i am more-than-rested, my body gives me permission to stay up a bit later. it's rather simple.
so, what is the call to action? well, do you want to be an early riser? do you want a daily routine? or is there some other habit you would like to create, but have had a difficult time making it systematic for yourself? i have included a few links that might help, and i look forward to sharing my progress in the near future, as i create my own schedule - from the ground up.
enjoy.the.story.
jasmine star's FAQ post: http://www.jasminestarblog.com/Index.cfm?postID=645
steve pavlina's "how to become an early riser" post [part 1]: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser/
steve pavlina [part 2]: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/05/how-to-become-an-early-riser-part-ii/
leo babauta's "the power of less": http://thepowerofless.com/
and, just for fun, here is a photograph i took on my favorite stretch of road: the 101 between santa barbara and san luis obispo.
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